As is tradition, the Englishman will be playing alongside this year's other Major champions Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson for the first 36 holes at Oak Hill.

"I'm in the fortunate position of playing in that group that everyone wants to be in," Rose told reporters. "Adam is a great friend of mine, and I couldn't have been happier when he won The Masters. And to follow him as a Major champion was sort of icing on the cake really.

"Beating Phil at the US Open, obviously with his record there, I was delighted to win, but you have to feel for Phil in that situation, too. So I was also happy for him to win The Open Championship.

"Phil and I have had some good golf over the last eight or nine months, if you include the Ryder Cup. We've had some nice head-to-head battles and had some fun out on the golf course. So for me, it's a really, really fun pairing the next couple of days."